Veepers: Web Folk from Pulse

E-mail, messaging, and chat are obvious applications for Veepers, and Pulse is also targeting customer relations. But the company's big push is e-learning. Citing research that shows interactive characters can deliver information to online students more effectively than text and images alone, Pulse is hoping to see Veepers used in myriad educational applications, corporate and otherwise. The company says that IBM, Microsoft, and Toyota are already using beta versions of Veepers in instructional applications.

Pulse is also counting on the small size of the Veepers files-about 1/100th the size of high-quality streaming video, it claims-as a major selling point. "It can replace streaming media," says Mike Brennan, an analyst with IDC. "And I was impressed by the [small amount of time] it took to put together a Veepers character."

Veepers content must be viewed using the Pulse Player, which is available online and as an option in rich media players such as QuickTime and Real Player. The licensing fees for creating Veepers content range from $25,000 to approximately $100,000 per enterprise. (Pulse Enter tainment; www.pulse3d.com)